


The Old World Made New

by stories-telling (Silverblind)



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:54:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23650408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverblind/pseuds/stories-telling
Summary: Ellie reminds Joel of things he'd rather forget.
Relationships: Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 48





	The Old World Made New

**Author's Note:**

> First (and maybe last) tlou fic. Fandom suggested by someone on tumblr - blog stories-telling.

Sometimes, Joel forgets what the world was like,  _ before _ .

But it’s hard not to think about it now, with Ellie at his side, seeing a city - a true, sprawling city (or at least, what’s left of it) - for the first time. She asks a thousand questions, about things he had always thought of as simple, common - and he is once again reminded that she had only ever known life as a bleak, dull thing in the Quarantine Zone. Sometimes, he can’t help but marvel at the fact that, despite everything, her spirit had not been broken. How could she still be so willful, so brave and so bright, after everything she’d seen, everything she’d been through? He almost envies her.

He hears her whistle a small tune from behind him, and almost feels himself smile - for the first time in what feels like years - at the satisfied hum she lets out, proud of her latest skill. He suddenly wonders how long it had been since he’d last smiled - a true, honest smile. Shit, maybe it truly  _ had _ been years.

A loud  _ thunk _ behind him interrupts his thoughts, and he turns his head in time to see Ellie stumble over a piece of piping left on the pavement.

“ _ Fuck _ !”

_ Language _ , he almost says, but catches himself in time. It’s an old habit, a habit from another -  _ better _ \- time, a word he had often aimed at another girl.  A habit he couldn’t quite shake, even after 20  _ goddamn _ years.

She’s not  _ her _ , and this is just a job.

He watches her steady herself, and turns away before she can see him looking at her, trying to ignore the way grief grips at his heart in a way it hadn’t in a long time.


End file.
